Extension for bath faucet valve operators

ABSTRACT

An extension handle to be used by one for manipulating the valve operators in a bathtub or shower stall.

United States Patent Mathews [451 Apr. 18, 1972 [54] EXTENSION FOR BATH FAUCET Reiel'ences Cited VALVE OPERATORS UNITED STATES PATENTS [721 W" Mme, 5005 1,106,545 8/1914 Camus 81/58.! 22205 2,578,410 12/1951 Filiatreault ..s1/ss.2 221 Filed: Apr. 23, 1970 2 APPLNQ; 31,14 Primary Examiner-Evon C. Blunk Assistant ExaminerJohnny D. Cherry 52 us. c1. ..294/19n 511 1m.c1.-.. ..A47i 13/06 1581 Field ofSeai-ch ..29'4/19,2o,21; s1/3.s,s3, AB TRACT An extension handle to be used by one for manipulating-the valve operators in a bathtub or shower-stall.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPRIBIQIZ 3,656,793

SHEET 1 OF 2 IN V EN TOR. J KENNETH MATHEWS A TTOR/VE Y PATENTEDAPR 18 m2 SHEET 2 [1F 2 ATTORNEYS l EXTENSION FOR BATH FAUCET VALVE OPERATORS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The manipulation by a bather of the valve operators customarily found at one end of a bathtub and/or against a wall of a shower enclosure can sometimes present some difficulties to the bather, particularly where one bathing in a shower stall or enclosure must, for any number of obvious reasons, retain the head and/or face out of contact with any water issuing from the spray head, or in instances where one employs the conventional bathtub for bathing purposes, the bather, for any number of reasons, such as an infirmity, may not be able to reach the valve operators at one end of the bathtub so as to regulate the flow of cold and/or hot water issuing from the water outlet fixture. In many instances where due to a facial or head injury one is not permitted to wet these portions of the body and when one with such injuries attempts to manipulate the valve operators for the shower head, he must of necessity expose these portions of the body to the spray issuing from the shower head, thus wetting the same to hisdetriment. Also, where a bather makes use of a conventional bathtub for bathing and for one reason or another, as

-for instance a crippled condition exists which does not pennit the bather to reach the valve operators, such bather must then rely on some outside assistance to manipulate the valve operators in order to regulate the flow of either hot or cold water issuing from the faucet which extends from one wall at one end of the bathtub. As can be appreciated-in instances such as pointed out above, the valve operators for the shower and/or bathtub installations can only be actuated with considerable difi'rculty by the bather, and with the above in mind, it is the primary object of the invention to provide an extension handle which is to be employed by a bather either in a bathtub or shower installation to easily manipulate the valve operators for either the hot or cold water lines so as to attain the desired degree of water temperature issuing from the spray head of a shower installation or outlet faucet fixed in one wall of a bathtub.

It is a further object of the invention-to provide an extension handle for a bather which can be easily manufactured out of a suitable water impermeable material such as plastic and the like which will not require any wiping thereof after use so as to obviate the formation of rust and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide an extension handle'particularly adapted for use by bathers which will have at one end thereof a conically-shaped portion which will engage with the conventional valve operators of a shower installation or bathtub and to thus enable the bather to manipulate the valve operators from a position remote therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plurality of projections formed interiorly of the conically-shaped portion so as to enable the handle extension to firmly grip the valve operator, and by a simple turning movement of the extension, the temperature of the water issuing from the spray head of the shower or the outlet fixture of the bathtub can be easily adjusted to suit the bather.

Another object of the invention is to provide an extension handle for a bather which will enable the user thereof to engage the forward or conically-shaped end with valve operators of differing outer configurations, thus adding versatility to the use of the extension handle.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

DESCRIPTION or THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bather in a shower installation disclosing the manner of use of the extension handle.

FlG..-2 is an enlarged view of the extension handle of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the manner of using the extension handle by a bather in a bathtub, and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of the extension handle showing in particular the conically-shaped front end of the handle.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 thereof a bather in a position normal for one to assume if he is to use the shower apparatus 10 which normally extends outwardly of a ceramic wall 11 and terminates in a shower spray head 12. Suitable conduits (not shown) extend from a source of hot and cold water supply and connect to the said shower spray head in the conventional manner.

Also extending inwardly of the wall 11 are the conventional valve operators 13, only one shown in the drawings, and the valve operators are designed to open and close valves within the supply lines aforesaid by a simple turning movement thereof by the bather. As stated previously, there are instances where the bather must have some means for manipulating the valve operators from a remote position and it is for this reason that the instant invention has been derived.

Numeral 14 of the drawings designates a generally conically-shaped cup member open at the forward end thereof and closed at the bottom by a wall 15 which can be formed integral with or otherwise secured to the side walls of the cup member in any known manner. For purposes of economically making the said cup member, the same can be conveniently molded of a suitable plastic material and the bottom wall aforesaid, together with the side walls of the cup, molded in one operation so as to form the same as a one-piece molded product.

As can best be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawings, the inside wall of the cup member has fonned thereon a plurality of projections 16 which are shown as being of a somewhat halfround configuration for a purpose to be described more fully hereinafter. The projections may be formed of plastic or any other suitable material and the same may be formed internally of the cup member simultaneously with the molding of the cup member in the manner aforesaid. Of course, the projections may be formed as separate members and secured interiorly of the cup member as by use of a suitable adhesive or any other known means whereby the projection will be retained in proper position within the cup member. As stated previously, the cup member and projections are preferably made of a suitable plastic material so as to obviate the formation of rust on these parts should the same be constructed of a suitable metal. However, it is to be understood that the aforementioned parts may be made in any convenient manner out of wood, metal, etc.

Securedin any manner to the bottom wall 15 is an extension rod 17 and here again, the rod can be made of any suitable material but preferably plastic, and as can be appreciated, the

rod may be simultaneously molded to the aforesaid cup member 14, thus making the rod and cup member a one-piece molded product. The rod 17 may be of any desired length, suffice to say that the same must be of a length as will permit one using the same either in a shower or in a bathtub to be able to manipulate the valve apparatus from a remote position while within the shower enclosure in a stand-up position or from within a bathtub or sitting-down position as clearly shown in the drawings.

A handle 18 formed of any suitable material is aflixed in any known manner to the end of extension rod 17 to thus enable the user of the extension handle to manipulate the same for the purpose aforesaid.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is schematically shown the conventional hand-operable handle 19 which extends inwardly from the wall 1 l and which leads to the valve structures positioned in the water supply lines (not shown). As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the rounded edges of the projections 16 will permit for the ready placement of the cup member over the handle 19 with the customary rounded ends of the handle 19 nesting between adjacent projections, thus making it unnecessary for the user of the extension handle to feel" for a proper connection between the cup member and the valve handle, as only a partial rotation of the cup member will quickly bring the rounded ends of the handle 19 in position to engage between pairs of projections as clearly shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings and to thus enable the valve operator to be turned from an on or off position to an off or on position, thus controlling the flow of hot and/or cold water from either the shower head in one instance and from the outlet fixture (not shown) in a bathtub.

While the projections have beenfound to operate more efficiently when formed of a semi-round configuration, it is obvious that the projections may take other shapes, such as triangular, square, etc.

'As stated previously, the extension handle is designed to be used by a bather in a conventional shower installation with the user thereof in the customary stand-up position or in a conventional bathtub with the user being in the customary sitdown position.

The advantages in the employment of the exterior handle in this particular environment will be obvious from an understanding of the invention. A person afflicted with some infinnity which prevents his reaching for the valve operators of a bathtub can now nevertheless be placed in the tub by an attendant and the bather can then make whatever. adjustments he may deem necessary for the flow of water into the tub and to enable the user to regulate the temperature thereof without any outside assistance. Thus, an extension handle of this type solves a troublesome problem for one who is infirmed or if for any other reason he is unable to regulate the flow and temperature of water into a bathtub. Also, in instances where one has experienced head and/or face injuries and it is imperative that these parts of the body be kept out of contact with water,

and one nevertheless wishes to bathe in a conventional shower installation, the extension handle herein permits for such person to bathe in a shower stall as he can then manipulate the valve operators aforesaid in the manner previously described from the shower head. Also, if a lady, for instance, following a without exposing his head and/0r face to the spray emitting hair set or wave, does not desire to disturb the same as by donning a head cover can now conviently use a shower installation without danger 'of wetting the hair since the extension handle will permit her to manipulate the valve operators from a remote position and at no time expose her head to the shower spray.

While I have illustrated and described. the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l CLAIM:

l. A handle extension for use by a bather in a bathtub and shower installation comprising a conically-shaped cup member extending from one end of an extension rod, said cup member having an open and a closed end and projections formed inwardly of said cup-shaped member intermediate the said open and closed end of the cup member and extending substantially the length of said cup member to engage with the handle portion of a valve operator to enable said handle portion of said valve operator to be rotated from a remote position by the rotation of said extension rod and a handle at the opposite end of said extension rod tofacilitate the aforesaid turning movement of said valve operator.

2. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein said projections are each formed of semi-round sections.

3. The structure recited in claim 2 wherein said semi-round sections are formed integral with the'walls of said cup-shaped member. 

1. A handle extension for use by a bather in a bathtub and shower installation comprising a conically-shaped cup member extending from one end of an extension rod, said cup member having an open and a closed end and projections formed inwardly of said cup-shaped member intermediate the said open and closed end of the cup member and exteNding substantially the length of said cup member to engage with the handle portion of a valve operator to enable said handle portion of said valve operator to be rotated from a remote position by the rotation of said extension rod and a handle at the opposite end of said extension rod to facilitate the aforesaid turning movement of said valve operator.
 2. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein said projections are each formed of semi-round sections.
 3. The structure recited in claim 2 wherein said semi-round sections are formed integral with the walls of said cup-shaped member. 